First Taste
by jestrel22
Summary: There it was. Again. The sound that triggered the beginning of the dream. The deep, methodical thump that repeated, again and again, like a clock counting down the seconds to my death. This story is a remake on Elena and Damon's relationship from the Vampire Diaries. Only this time, Damon isn't Stefan's brother, Damon is his sister.
1. Chapter 1

**FIRST TASTE**.

 **Part 1**.

 _There it was. Again. The sound that triggered the beginning of the dream. The deep, methodical thump that repeated, again and again, like a clock counting down the seconds to my death._

 _I looked around, yet again confused as to why I was there. I could smell the fresh earth that I stood on; I could see nothing but the small path ahead of me, lit by the dull moonlight. But what gave me chills was knowing that I was being watched. Every movement, every breath. I was being hunted._

 _I closed my eyes for a brief moment, some part of me attempting to feel my surroundings as goosebumps rippled down my body. I silently exhaled and opened my eyes, immediately startled to see the shadow of a body in the soft light ahead. Something about the person felt familiar. It wasn't possible to decipher who it was, nor their intentions, but something about the figure allowed the feeling of safety to engulf me._

" _Is that really you?" I was shocked to realize that I was the one who spoke the quiet question. I couldn't even tell who it was, what was I doing asking that? The figure remained still. A twig snapped from behind me as a gust of wind twisted my hair around my face, blinding me. A blood-curdling scream overtook all of my senses as I tripped over my own feet, falling to the floor in my attempt to run from whatever had produced the shrill sound._

 _Strong hands gripped my wrists and pulled me up, already dragging me away while my legs failed to catch up to my body. "Come on," the soft voice murmured as I felt myself completely lifted off of the ground. My hand, now free, reached up to move my hair from my face to see my savior. I pushed aside my thick hair and looked at the face of the person carrying me. Between the fog and the fast pace set as we ran through the woods, very little light allowed me to see. A fallen tree came into view reflected by a puddle of silver light and I knew that we would have to jump in order to make it. As we did, the moonlight shone brightly in my eyes, now accustomed to the dark blanket of the trees. I turned my head, my cheek rubbing against the tight muscles that my face rested on. As my eyes traveled up, moments before revealing the identity of this mysterious person, we were hit._

 _The breath left my body as I was flung across a tree. I rolled onto the dark forest floor, only stopping after colliding with something hard. My whimper turned to a hiss as I attempted to open my eyes. I grasped my head as my vision blurred. There it was again, the painful scream of something angrily hunting, frustrated in its fury._

 _My eyes went wide as a flash of red crossed ahead. It was then that I smelled it, the smell of blood. I looked down. I couldn't quite see it, but it was then that I felt the searing pain in my calf. The strong smell of blood was coming from me, it had to be. I felt the trickle of a hot sticky liquid coming from the cut in my calf. I pressed against it to slow the bleeding, biting my lip at the pain in the effort to keep quiet from whatever was in the woods with us._

" _Don't say a word," I jumped at the lips that spoke in my ear, the whispered words barely audible. "Don't move. I will be right back."_

" _My leg. I'm hurt," I turned to whisper back, my lips accidentally grazing the person's jaw. "Sorry."_

" _Just stay put." I don't know how long I sat there. Maybe just a few minutes passed, maybe an hour. I sat there, bleeding, and silently straining to hear the sound of anything other than my own rapid breathing._

" _I'm here," Out of nowhere, I heard the voice. But this one was different. My entire body went on high alert trying to gauge just how close the other thing was. "HERE," the thing completely overtook me, grabbing and tearing at my skin. I screamed as I felt a deep burning. I struggled to breathe, feeling liquid bubble up inside of me. I was choking. My vision was fading; I was dying. "NO!" The original voice called, pulling and shoving the thing off of me. But it didn't matter. I was floating. Things became quiet, calm even, as I lay there, swallowing my own blood. And then everything was still._

"Layna. Layna?" I squinted my eyes open. "You're going to be late if you don't wake up. I don't know how you can possibly miss all 8 alarms." I blinked at my aunt, the dream I'd just had fading away. _Death_ fading away.

"Okay, thanks," my voice came out hoarse. I took a few seconds to stretch out, relaxing into my bed and shaking off the bizarre dream that seemed to be occurring more and more frequently. _Doesn't matter. Today is a new start_ , I thought to myself. Today, in fact, was the first day of school. I was finally starting my junior year. With any luck, it would go by quickly and be more eventful than last year.

I glanced at my alarm clock, "Shit! I'm actually late." So much for looking cute on the first day. I rushed to pull on the clothes that I had decided upon last night. I ran a brush through my hair while trying to simultaneously start my makeup, with little success.

"Layna, let's _go_! I'm leaving in 5 minutes with or without you!" _Damn_ , I thought. _Whatever, no one important to impress anyway. No one new_ ever _entered this town._

I slipped on some ankle boots and grabbed my jacket as I raced out of the room. I certainly didn't want to hike the two miles to school. "Ugh," I narrowly missed colliding with my brother as he raced down the stairs in his signature hoodie. "Wait up, Jer. Don't let Jenna leave without me." I, at a much slower pace, followed my brother down to the car, locking the door on my way out. Things had been incredibly different this time last year. My mother and father were still alive, for one thing. My aunt also hadn't been living with us; only having moved into our house after she became our legal guardian. It had been a rough summer trying to come to terms with the fact that I would never see them again. I wouldn't have them there for the day I graduated, the day I finally fell in love and got married, or started a family. The thought depressed me so I pushed it aside as I always did, never truly processing the feelings that suffocated me. _I'll save that for another day_ , I thought as I opened the car door. "Thanks for driving us, Jenna," I said as I glanced over at my brother – earphones in listening to music and already ignoring us. Although he was only one year younger than me, he was struggling far more than I was after the events that took place only three months ago.

"No problem. But you better be up earlier tomorrow or you're going to have to start walking," Jenna said while meeting my eyes. Although she was playing the role of the tough mom, I knew that she was still struggling with trying to figure out how to go from the fun aunt to taking over the responsibilities that my mom had left behind.

"Will do. Just had some nightmares last night that kind of threw me off." I turned to stare out the car window, all of us silently lost in our own thoughts while the radio quietly played music. It really was a nice town, all things considered. Substantially harder to deal with after having gone through such an unexpected and major loss; it was nearly impossible not to see memories all around me. It was a pretty day, though. The sun was shining, it was just cold enough for a light jacket, and despite the crazy morning, I didn't look totally awful.

"Alright, guys, have a good day. I'll pick you both up after school. Sound good?" Jeremy glanced at Jenna and simply closed the car door and left. "Please keep an eye on him, Layna. It isn't that I don't worry about you too, I just know how strong you are." I lifted my lips into a smile that didn't reach my eyes. With that, I nodded and left.

I headed to the cafeteria to find the registration table for my name. After checking in and getting my schedule, I found a spot to sit while I waited for my best friends, Caroline and Bonnie. While waiting for them, I looked over my schedule. With all of the chaos of the funerals at the end of the year I missed a lot of school. I never actually pre-registered for classes this year and knew I likely would have to try to change some of them. Algebra two, English, AP Environmental science, US History, Study Hall as predicted. Anatomy and Physiology, Creative writing, and History of SciFi, not so much. _Definitely going to have to change that._

"Layna!" I heard my name called by Caroline and looked up in time to see Bonnie wave before I was engulfed in a hug with my best friends. Sure, I had relied heavily on their support all summer, but this was different. This was my fresh start. My opportunity to show everyone who knew the old Layna that I was okay. _But are you?_ I couldn't help the fleeting subconscious thought.

"Caroline, Bonnie," I sighed into their warm hug. "Boy am I glad to see you. Now let me see your schedule," I laughed as I showed them mine.

"Anatomy? History of SciFi?" Caroline scoffed. "Honestly, why would that class even need to exist. Eww."

"Well at least they got Creative Writing right," I rolled my eyes at Bonnie's statement. "Oh please, like you don't write in your diary every night. I think that will be a great fit for you. It also just so happen I'm in it too. By mistake, granted, but I can stick it out if it means class with you."

"Can't say I'll be joining you for that one. Especially if it meant no home economics. I think I'll do really well learning about design and useful, _practical_ skills," she grinned at us. "But at least drop SciFi nerd class. Join us in Health. We can knock it out so that next year is absolutely perfect." The first bell rang and anxious freshmen scrambled to get to class. We stood and headed in the opposite direction towards the junior wing.

"Definitely. I have _zero_ interest in science fiction, or any type of fantasy, for that matter-" I was cut off as I collided with another student, nearly falling to the ground.

"Geez, watch where you're going!" Caroline sneered at the stranger whose grip had helped me to regain my balance.

"Uh," I looked up into the most shockingly blue eyes I've ever seen. Beautiful would be an understatement. "I'm sorry, I totally was not paying attention," the stranger released her grasp and I subconsciously rubbed the point of contact.

"C'mon, Layna," Bonnie intervened and grabbed my arm to pull me away. "We're going to be late if we don't hurry."

"Who even _was_ that? _I've_ never seen her before. And trust me, I make it my business to know everyone in this town," Caroline stated as we walked away.

"I have no idea," I murmured. As we turned to go up the stairs, I looked back. My heart raced as my eyes collided with the girl's blue eyes. She appeared not to have moved. Something about her seemed almost familiar. Suddenly she grinned at me, only lifting one side of her lips. And just like that she was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2.**

The day came and went, uneventful. I was fortunate enough to have several classes with Caroline and Bonnie, making it far more bearable. What _was_ interesting was that Jeremy was in my SciFi class with Bonnie. He ignored us, per his usual attitude lately, but it was still nice that I would be able to keep an eye on him. _Or at least make sure he doesn't skip all day_ , I thought.

"What do you have next again?" Bonnie asked as we stood to head to the last class of the day. "I've got some kind of intro to culinary class," she grimaced. "At least I'll eat good. My partner, not so much," she laughed.

"Anatomy and physio. You get to end with food and I get what, guts and gore?" I shook my head. "Definitely not for me. I'll be turning in the schedule change by the end of the week. Hopefully I'll get into your class too. At least we could cook poorly for each other," I grinned. "Oh, shoot," I glanced at the hall sign. "This class is in the senior wing. Gotta go. Call me later tonight and we can see who had it worse by the end of the day." Bonnie rolled her eyes as I turned, making a beeline to the far wing, tucked into what we called the dungeon. Despite the fairly good amount of natural light that seemed to illuminate the rest of the school, the dungeon seemed to be in a perpetual state of depression and dull lighting.

"215," I murmured to myself. "216, and here we go," I crossed the threshold and was hit by the smell of death. Perhaps it was something you just get used to, but it made my stomach tighten, already queasy.

The classroom was nearly full and only had two seats still open. I grabbed one, trying not to let my eyes linger on the dead rat that sat in a cheap aluminum tin in the middle of the table. I grimaced as I sat heavily, dropping my backpack to the floor next to me. No way was I going to survive this class.

The bell rang and the general excited chatter of the students decreased. "Alright class, welcome. My name is Mr. Miter and, as you can see by the specimen on your desk, this is anatomy. We are going to start today by exploring some of the giant rats that lurk in the halls after school," he chuckled, clearly amused by himself. "No, no, these were humanely gassed. These rats are your first lesson to determine if A&P is the right elective for you. It is no easy feat, but this course is one that most students generally find to be both interesting and very informative." I glanced down at the dead wet creature, feeling both incredibly _uninterested_ as well as slightly nauseated by the set of tools waiting to be used. "Now, your task for today is a simple one. As you can see, we are broken into groups of three, with the exception of yours," he nodded to my table, the only one with a seat remaining empty. "With your table partners, you are to follow the instructional packet to identify external anatomy. Now, although I set the stage for a dissection, we will not have that pleasure until you make it through the week to Friday. That being said, make sure that you were close-toed shoes and follow standard lab dress code procedures. We'll talk more about that next class. For today, simply pull your hair back, roll up your sleeves, get those gloves on, and make sure you document everything!"

With that, Mr. Miter stopped talking and began to rotate between groups. I glanced at my silent partner, not at all confident in our ability to identify anything. "Hi, I'm Layna," I nodded, "I guess it's just the two of us today."

"Yep. Pretty sure I'm going to drop this. I only signed up to take this with my boyfriend, but," she glanced towards the group by the door, "that has since ended. I'm April, by the way."

"Me too. Well, not the boyfriend part. I don't have one either. I mean I'll probably switch out of this too." I stated as I reached up to pull my hair back. If I was being forced to look at this thing, I certainly wasn't going to get goo in my hair.

"Well, how do you feel about dead things?" My partner asked.

"Yeah…not for me. I prefer the things in my life _alive_ ," I picked up a pair of gloves.

"Dear God, please do not tell me he is in this class with us," April muttered, nearly inaudible. I followed her eyes, glancing behind me. It appeared to be our partner, at least because the lack of seats. "Stevyn," she sighed, pronouncing his name Steh-vin. "He is so gorgeous. And lovely. And oh my gosh, I totally just realized he's back in town!" April gushed to me, turning her head to avoid being seen.

"Who is he? I've never seen him before," I watched Stevyn talk to the teacher. He glanced up and met my eyes briefly. He certainly was substantially more attractive than anyone in the room. Dark brooding eyes, stylish hair, and clothes that indicated money in a casual way.

"He comes from one of the original families from our town, Layna. Don't you know anything about our history? He's one of the Salvatores." April was clearly unimpressed with my knowledge. Or lack thereof. "I had heard that they moved back in town over the summer. I haven't actually laid eyes on Stevyn personally, I just know all about him," her eyes glanced back over just in time to see the teacher nod in our direction. "Oh my God, shut up. I'll tell you about him later. Not now. He's coming," wide-eyed, April quickly straightened as Stevyn walked over. Or floated. I wasn't sure. He had an effortless gait.

"Ladies," he smiled, a small dimple appearing, "it appears that we're lab partners." He pulled out the seat across from me and sat. "I apologize for being late. I'm Stevyn, by the way. Now, where were we?" He said all of this to the two of us, while looking me directly in the eyes. I felt April knock her foot into mine under the table.

"Hey," I glanced at April. "I'm Layna, this is April. Stevyn, hmm? I'm guessing you're new here. We haven't seen you before," I said, digging for an answer directly from the source. "We just started."

"Yeah, something like that," Stevyn said, glancing at April for the first time since arriving. "So, what's the task?" He asked again. _Interesting_ , I thought.

"Well, Mr. Miter has us examining the external anatomy of this…dead rat," She picked it up with her gloves and it flopped over, limp. When she moved it, the smell of formalin scented the air around us. I looked with disgust, but was surprised to see Stevyn tense across from me. He didn't seem like the squeamish type. "Eww, this is _so_ gross." She glanced at our new partner. "Well, since you're here and Layna and I already gloved up, do you want to answer the questions?" I regretted the blue gloves that already had my hands sweating. "That is, unless you want to do this part," she said quickly.

"No, by all means," he shook his head, eyebrows raised, "we have all year to toy with dead things." At that, he glanced in my direction again.

"Hello, students," Mr. Miter interrupted us. "Do you have any questions about the class yet?" We remained silent, _nope_. "Well, I for one am particularly excited about the opportunities you all will have this year. I secured a research grant to work with our local community college. Although it is for my own particular interests, this is beneficial to all of you as you will, for the first time _ever_ , get to explore the anatomy of animals in a totally new way." Mr. Miter beamed, clearly happy with whatever this new opportunity was. "We'll get to dissect some of the large wild dogs that have been caught several miles from here. I'm not sure how much you all paid attention to town news this summer, but we were lucky enough to have a pack of rabid dogs. Well, perhaps not _lucky_ , but we will benefit either way." He smiled. "Alright, well let me continue on to other groups. Let me know if you have any questions."

"What? Rabid dog pack? That's weird," I scrunched my eyebrows at April's comment. "And even weirder that we're going to _dissect_ them."

"Well you all have fun. I will kindly decline and drop this class," I pushed the fallen hair from my face with my forearm and glanced up, catching Stevyn watching me. "What? Please don't tell me I have rat gunk on my head," I rubbed the top of my forehead with the back of my sleeve.

"No. Sorry, _Layna_ , was it? I was just deep in thought," Stevyn said quietly. He certainly looked distracted.

"Alright guys, let's at least attempt to identify some of this since we're stuck here," April redirected us. Even though we eventually moved on, making our way through the worksheet, I continued to feel the heat of Stevyn's gaze. I avoided returning the stare and instead immersed myself with a sudden fascination in determining fur types and textures. "Hmm, I'm not sure on that one," April had flipped the rat over, exposing the underside.

"Class, can I have a moment of you time," Mr. Miter called our attention back to the front. "It is unfortunately that time of class where we need to begin cleaning up. Since you're my last period, you have the luck of putting up the bodies." He continued to give us instructions on where to store our specimen until the next class period.

April left to return the rat while I sprayed down our table. "Have I met you before," Stevyn asked me with a fixed stare.

"I don't think so," I tipped my head down in an effort to break the tension. _This is weird_ , I thought.

"You look incredibly familiar," he picked up the paper towels.

I shook my head. "No, and I'm certainly not memorable," I murmured to myself.

"I can't agree with that," Stevyn stated. I looked up, surprised he had heard me. It hadn't been intended for his ears.

"Ugh, that was so gross," April interrupted, tossing her gloves in our trash. "All of those dead bodies just falling on top of each other. So squishy sounding," She shivered, clearly displeased. "Next time I get to wipe down the table."

"Um, sure." I wasn't sure if she picked up on the weird vibe between Stevyn and I but she did not acknowledge it if she did. The bell rang. "Ok, see you later," I scooped up my backpack and rushed out of the room. _What the heck was that?_ I thought to myself. _That's what I get for not going directly to the office for a schedule change form._

I opened the classroom door and, for the second time in a single day, ran straight into someone. "Ooh," the wind rushed out of my lungs as I grasped my fallen bag.

"Hey, are you okay?" I felt someone touch my elbow. I glanced behind me, confused to again see Stevyn paying attention to me.

"Uhh," was all I could manage as I turned back to the person I ran into. "I'm so sorry. I was not paying attention at _all_." My eyes widened. It was her. _Again_. I wanted the floor beneath me to open up so I could be consumed. How could the day have turned so cruel that I, yet again, ran into the same girl from earlier.

" _Daevn_." The name was muttered with an irritated tone.

"It seems that you haven't been focused all day," the girl said with a hint of humor and bright eyes. "Don't worry about it. In fact, feel free to run into me _any_ time." Stevyn came up to stand next to me as the hall began to clear. "Stevyn," she acknowledged his presence beside me.

"Hello, _Sister_. I see you've met Layna."


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**.

"Not quite so formally," Daevn said, one eyebrow raised as she looked me over.

Before I could figure out what was going on, my phone began ringing. I pulled the phone out of my pocket, glancing down to see Jenna's name across the screen. "I'm sorry, I need to take this," I shrugged my way between the two siblings and made my way down the hall. "Hi, Aunt Jenna."

"Layna? Are you with your brother?" As I rounded the corner, I looked back in the direction of the Salvatore siblings and our awkward conversation, if you could even call it that. Both siblings leaned against the door frame. Stevyn, arms crossed, whispered something to his sister. Daevn, eyes again on me, nodded. " _Layna_?"

"Sorry, what was that?" I turned, out of sight and headed to the stairs. "Are you here? I'm on my way down, the teacher wanted to see me after school."

"No, that's what I'm calling about. I'm stuck at work and can't be there for at least an hour. Do you and Jeremy want to wait for me?"

"That's fine. We can walk home." I headed towards the front of the school, hoping to find my brother.

"Are you sure? I'm sorry. I really wanted to be there today," her pause indicated that today was a big deal. I suppose it was; first day back to school and the attempt at a normal life after my parents died.

"It's not a big deal, Jenna. I appreciate the sentiment, but we'll be fine." I spied Jeremy's black hoodie and made a beeline towards him. "I'll even send you a text when we're safely home."

"Okay, thank you, Layna. I'll swing by and get a pizza or something special for dinner." We said our goodbyes as I walked up to my brother.

I tapped Jeremy on the shoulder so he would pull out an earbud. "Hey, Jer. Aunt Jenna isn't going to make it to get us. You up to walking home with me?"

"Yep," he said curtly, already tucking the earbud back in place. I sighed, sometimes I wanted to shake him. He wasn't the only one dealing with a lot of emotion.

We exited the school and started down one of the main roads in town that would eventually lead to our house. Jeremy slowed to follow a few paces behind me.

The weather was still nice, albeit a bit warmer, and it gave me a chance to digest the day in peace. I pulled my own earbuds out of my pocket and plugged them into my phone. Switching on to my favorite playlist, I turned up the music, enjoying the numbing effect it had on me.

Ten minutes into our walk I noticed a car trailing us out of the corner of my eye. I turned to see a grinning Daevn roll down her window. I stopped walking and pulled out my earbud. "Hey, I hate to interrupt," she said, arm casually perched on the windowsill, "but I see you're walking. Care for a ride?" Her eyes sparkled, "Thought I could formally introduce myself since we've done nothing but run into each other."

I glanced back at my brother, still a few feet from us. "Uuh, sure," I turned back to Daevn. "That would be great if it isn't out of your way." I walked closer to the window. The wind was gently blowing Daevn's black hair back but stopped as it hit the collar of her leather jacket.

"That's the great thing about having a car, Layna. Nothing is every truly out of the way." I met her eyes for a second, seeing something unnamed move across. "Well, come on in."

"Oh, and my brother too, if that's okay." Jeremy came up behind me, "Jer, this is Daevn, Daevn, this is my brother Jeremy." I made the introductions.

"Hey," Daevn nodded once. "No problem. Get in." I walked around to the passenger seat, feeling exposed. It wasn't like I was worried she was a murderer or anything, I just felt nervous for some reason. "Where to?"

"Floyd Street, thanks," I smiled as I clicked my seatbelt into place. "So. . ." I looked over at Daevn, not exactly sure where to lead the conversation. "I'm really sorry about today." I glanced at Jer in the rearview mirror; he appeared to be lost in thought staring out the window.

"No need to apologize," Daevn said seriously, eyebrows furrowed together. "Not a big deal at all."

"I'm a bit clumsy these days." I rubbed my hands together. "April told me that you and your brother used to live here. That you just moved back," I tried to switch subjects.

"Ahh, yes. It's been a long time coming. My uncle has a house here and wants us to graduate from the same school as our parents. Tradition, I suppose, before we all head our separate ways." I nodded, taking in her body language. Everything said calm and collected, but the tight grip on the steering wheel told me there was far more to the story.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry. Just curious, is all," I watched the houses pass for a moment.

"I'm a pretty good read on character, Layna. I have a good feeling about you, but I do have to mention that there is no need to ever apologize to me. Just be yourself, that's enough." I felt goosebumps collect under my jeans. That sounded like something my mom had said to me, _I love you, Layna, Just the way you are._ I had to fight down the emotion building and blinked back tears.

"That's kind of you," I was able to get out.

Daevn chuffed, "I'm certainly not kind, Layna, but I'm working on it." I met her eyes as we stopped at a red light.

"Wow, I'm so sorr-," I cleared my throat, stopping my apology. "I'm not normally so emotional. Or weird, I _think_. It's been a rough summer and we're-," another glance to ensure Jer was blocking us out, "we're still adjusting." Daevn remained silent, digesting the information as we continued on our travel. "You'll turn right at the next light and we're the third on the left."

We pulled up to our house and Jeremy immediately vacated the car. I lingered, wanting to start the whole interaction over again. Although I didn't know Daevn well, I could tell that she was someone that I wanted to get to know. "Can we start over?" I asked.

Daevn turned to look at me more closely. "Hey, I'm Daevn," she cracked a grin as she stuck her hand out, waiting to shake.

I smiled in relief, "Hi, Daevn. I'm Layna. Layna Gilbert." I reached out to shake the extended hand, slipping mine into hers. It might have been odd for me to notice, but in any case, I noted that Daevn had incredibly soft but strong hands. "And this is my house," I laughed as I reluctantly pulled my hand back.

"Well it was great to finally meet you," Daevn said quietly, her eyes searching mine.

"I should go. Thanks for the ride," I unclicked my seatbelt and opened the car door. I grabbed my bag and closed the door. I walked across the hood of the car and waved.

"See you at school," Daevn called after me.

I walked into the house and dropped my bag by the front. Even though I knew that there was next to nothing in the fridge, I headed there by default, hoping that my mom had suddenly stocked it like she did when she was alive. I sighed at the inevitable disappointment and opened the door, instead grabbing a water.

I took my water upstairs and flopped onto my bed, already feeling exhausted. I texted Jenna that we had arrived and then strategically called Bonnie first, not because she was the _better_ best friend, per se, but she was easier to talk to. "Hey, what a day," Bonnie sighed, clearly laying on her own bed.

"I know, kind of surreal. At least we can check off one day," I said. We continued to talk about our day, even though a majority of it had been spent together. Bonnie liked most of her teachers, was unsure of our SciFi class but somewhat interested in it, and declared that she was bringing her own lunch from that point on.

"And, by the way, you know that girl that I accidentally ran into?" I transitioned from the highlights of my day. "Well, I actually ran into her a second time. I found out her name is Daevn. Daevn Salvatore. Have you heard the name before?"

"Mmm, it sounds somewhat familiar, but I can't place it. Why, who is she?"

"No clue. I only know her name because I have anatomy with her brother, Stevyn." I started messing with one of my fingernails, noting that they were a bit too long.

"Stevyn Salvatore? Now that is a name I've heard on more than one occasion. Have you talked to Caroline yet?"

"Not yet. I figured I'd talk to you first while I felt up to it and then I'd let Caroline do most of the talking." I smiled, appreciating how Care was never at a loss for words.

"Good idea," I could tell Bonnie was smiling, "ask her the names some time. If anyone knows, she does."

"Well April seemed to know who he was. She said she had never met him but that their family is one of the original founding families. Apparently, they moved back this summer."

"I don't know why anyone would want to move back here if they were lucky enough to escape," Bonnie sighed. Another bonding factor for us, the desire to make sure we did our time here and moved on. "Hey, I've got to go, I'll see you tomorrow at school." We ended our conversation and I turned on the muted TV to prepare for my conversation with Caroline.

"Hey Caroline, how was your first day?" She chatted on for over half an hour about her day, her goals for the year, and, mostly, about the first upcoming dance of the year and the massive amounts of planning that needed to take place.

"Caro, have you heard of the Salvatore siblings?" I redirected her towards my interest while flipping channels.

"Yes, _why_? Wait, you don't know who they are?" Caroline loved this. She _lived_ for situations where she could be the source of knowledge, particularly gossip.

"Well, the girl I ran into today was the sister, Daevn. I have class with her brother, Stevyn too. I was just curious how I hadn't heard of them when they're supposedly so well-known." I zoned out the TV to listen carefully.

"So, and this is just the rumor mill, of course," Caroline began, "there was an accident a few years ago. I guess they would have been in middle school. That would have been when they had moved away. I don't have time to get into the details right now, but the gist of the story is that Stevyn, the brother, got into some sort of car accident. He was walking and was hit and it was bad, like _bad_ bad, Layna. So anyway, he is laying in the middle of the road bleeding out while the car drove away, a case of hit and run. This random person passing through town stops when she sees this kid in the road hurt. I guess she was a doctor or something, lucky for him, because she took him in her car and helped him. He should have died based upon the extent of his injuries. Even the doctors said that he should have died, but he didn't. After the accident, there was a case to find the car that hit him and it turned into this whole thing. Their parents had died and so they were in their uncle's care. His uncle sent him and his sister away to some other school for a few years after things got nasty with lawsuits and other problems because of the accident."

"Layna, Jeremy!" Aunt Jenna called from downstairs. "Piiiizza is here!"

"Hey, Care, tell me more later. I've got to run, Jenna just got home." We closed our conversation and I left my room feeling more confused than before. _Although that was surely a traumatic event, why would their uncle send them away if they needed him?_

"Hey guys," Jenna beamed as she opened two steamy pizzas. "How was your day?"

"Fine," Jeremy said as he loaded up a plate with food. He took his over to the couch.

"What a conversationalist," Jenna smiled at me. "And you?"

"Uneventful," I said carefully as I picked up a paper plate.

"Fine, fine, I get it." Jenna grabbed a slice and we joined Jer in front of the TV. Although this was a different scenario than before, I was safe, sound, and eating my favorite pizza with what was left of my family. I pushed aside the questions and thoughts that I had on the Salvatore siblings and made the effort to enjoy the evening relaxing with a funny show and family. And for that, I was thankful.


End file.
